US: Would destroy banned Russian warheads if necessary

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Europe

Russia must halt its covert development of a banned cruise missile system or the US will seek to destroy it before it becomes operational, US' envoy to NATO said on Tuesday.

US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said they believe Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty that could allow Russia to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice, but Moscow has consistently denied any such violation.

Hutchison said that the US remained committed to a diplomatic solution but was prepared to consider a military strike if development of the medium-range system continued.

She said that the US would be looking at the capability to take out a (Russian) missile that could hit the US or its allies.

Hutchison later clarified in a tweet that she was not talking about a preemptive strike against Russia.

The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty bans medium-range missiles capable of hitting Europe or Alaska.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that such statements were dangerous, and that it would provide detailed answers to the US.

"It seems that people who make such statements do not realize the level of their responsibility and the danger of aggressive rhetoric," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Russian Foreign Ministry has said it is ready for talks with the US to try preserve the treaty and would comply with its obligations if the US did.

But the US State Department said Russia had violated obligations "not to possess, produce, or flight-test" a ground-launched cruise missile with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 km (310-3,420 miles)," or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles."

The US accusations are likely to further strain relations between Moscow and the West that are at a low over the Crimea and Syria crisis and US accusations of Russia meddling its elections.

(Top image: US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison briefs the media ahead of a NATO defense ministers meeting at the alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 2, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters